A Title Of Significance
by Hiei-Riku-RubedoFAN
Summary: Kratos has been called many things. A Mercenary, a Friend, a Teacher, an Angel, and even a Traitor. What is the significance of such titles unless they come from someone one truly cares for? ONESHOT Father's Day Inspiration.


**Well, I can't really say this is a Father's Day fic because it's not going to be posted on Father's Day but I do have to admit that Father's Day did give me the inspiration for this. Thanks to getting a review on my TOS story I thought of father and son moments in the game between Kratos and Lloyd and Father's Day evolved them into something else. I thought that it would be kinda cool to have a father/son thing and I've read a few by other people and ended up liking them. So I thought, "Well heck. Why not give it a try for myself?" I'll try not to make this too cheesy but it is only my second One-shot and it's a father/son thing so bear with me people……I think it is going to be a little cheesy but give it a chance, please! Oh and if you've read some of my other stories you can kinda figure out that I think about the past all the time and I write with a reminiscent tone in most of my stories. This one is no exception! This all takes place on Derris Kharlan after the game. I DO NOT OWN TALES OF SYMPHONIA!**

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_Note: I went through this entire story once again and tried to edit out all the grammar errors and other such problems I found in a read through I did a few days ago. Nothing about the story has been changed and is the same as it was before, just less problems._

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_**A Title Of Significance**_

"Lord Kratos?"

The auburn haired swordsman clad in purple looked up from the computer terminal he sat before. He had been staring at…well, more along the lines of through, the terminal for the past few hours and had to blink to refocus his eyes. Though he didn't look any older than to be in his late twenties, dark blue circles bagged around the bottom of his eyes and gave him a slight look of age which didn't quite belong. When he finally refocused his eyes, what he saw before him was an angel clad in battle armor and his spear by his side. His helmet fell over his eyes, hiding them from view, but it couldn't hide the flaming red hair that fell around his neck. He seemed ready for a fight, but Kratos knew that there was a slim chance of anything along those lines occurring, seeing as Derris Kharlan was adrift in space with nothing to connect it back with its home.

"What is it?" Kratos answered with a slight edge dripping from the words he spoke. He wouldn't willingly admit to it, but lately his heart had been aching in his chest and he frequently found himself thinking back on a certain twin swordsman, who was always clad in red. He had just been thinking of the first time he had held said swordsman as a baby in his arms and the abrupt interruption made by the angel greatly irritated him. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep a hold of the demeanor of the Emotionless Badass Mercenary he was once known as. His temper would flare easier and he often found himself reminded of Lloyd…Lloyd…

"There was a mana disturbance at the entrance of Derris Kharlan, my lord. At your earliest chance-"

"You wish for me to investigate it," Kratos finished as he was tiring of the angel interrupting his thoughts, "Very well. I'll see to it now."

Slowly rising from his seat, Kratos strode past the angel and grabbed his sword from the wall to strap the weapon to his side as he walked. As Kratos swiftly moved through the corridors of Derris Kharlan he found himself thinking about what the angel had said…well more about what the angel had called him.

"_Lord_," he muttered darkly under his breath as he strode past more angels_. 'As if,'_ he gave a snort. Kratos had been called many things, from many people and all of the titles he had been given seemed to fit him at one point or another.

And yet, now it all seemed so pointless. Titles were of little significance when one had been through as much as Kratos had. Titles at one point had made him think that he was to be remembered, but as time went by he realized that they too faded with the passage of time. Titles were of little significance…when there was no one to share their worth with.

_**The Lone Traveling Swordsman-**__ He is the one who is alone without a home to return to. He always has his back to the past and faces the future head on. _

"Yes," he mused thinking back, "That was my first title. The one I was given before I met Mithos, Martel, and Yuan."

He was traveling his own path and making his own way in the world, without the help or guidance of anyone other than himself. He had no one to fight for, no one to talk to, no one to befriend, no one to protect and no one who cared. He always got his own food and ate alone around a campfire as he thought of the day that was to follow his lonely night. He only lived for tomorrow and himself, never worrying about the consequences of his actions. With such thoughts on his mind, he taught himself how to fight with an individual blade and he perfected his skills on monsters and various other enemies he encountered about his travels. There was no one else who wished to travel beside him and 'alone' was once a word he was quite familiar with. Never once did the swordsman question if he was truly satisfied being on his own and never truly to had an interest in communication with people.

"If you're alone you don't have to worry about watching your back to keep yourself safe from backstabbers and you can't be betrayed. There's no one to hurt you," he once mused when asked why he traveled alone and at the time, it was what he truly believed.

That was until the night he was outmatched by a group of Ogres and Insect Plants. He was weary from traveling and while he was walking through the forest in which he was looking to camp, he was easily ambushed. Effortlessly, he slayed more than twenty enemies and it seemed he would have little problem with his opponents, but he was suddenly hit in the back with a poison attack. He was quick to find himself cornered with his back to a tree and he could find no way out. Kratos cursed himself for his lack of awareness and it seemed he had met his unseen end until a scream of 'Ray' echoed all around him. He was blinded as the attack came against all of the enemies and struck them down before his worn and weary form. When he finally could see again the green haired half-elf known as Martel was leaning over him healing his wounds. She was with two others that turned out to be Mithos and Yuan…they were all half-elves. Yet, even though he was raised to think differently of them because of it, he didn't really mind. There was something about them…he couldn't place it but they were different from what he had been told they would be like.

It was then that the thought of traveling in a company truly occurred to him. As he sat around the fire listening to them tell him their story, he actually gave into the thoughts about what it could be like to travel with other people. Though Kratos was not one to make decisions with his emotions and feelings, he found himself thinking about the possible feelings he could feel in a group. He would no longer be on his own and he would no longer have to shoulder every burden himself. When he was weary he could actually rest without always being alert and count on his companions to grant him some time to rest.

So the day that followed posed a new choice for him. He could either thank the half-elves and be on his way, or he could somehow ask them if he could join them. But, before he could even make the choice in his own mind, a young Mithos asked him a simple question that made Kratos' mind up for him.

"Would you like to travel with us? I think we could become very good friends," Mithos posed with a smile.

"Friends," Kratos quietly echoed back to the half-elf in thought. Then a very, very small smiled curled at the corners of his mouth and he said, "Yes, I would like that."

_**Friend-**__ He is one who under no circumstances will make judgments on the people he travels with and can be heavily counted upon._

Kratos suddenly stopped as his eyes truly took in the place around him. He stood in the middle of Welgaia looking at the cold and empty place. Angels moved about the roads and buildings as if it was a normal city, but they couldn't fool anyone. The place was lifeless. It was cold, empty, and lifeless.

'_Some friend,'_ he thought dryly as he looked around the city, _'A true friend would've managed to keep his friends alive…Martel and Mithos would still be alive."_

The swordsman stopped and stared at himself in the glass wall he stood before. He hadn't changed much since then, on the outside that is. He looked the same as he had when they met except his hair was a little longer. Other than that, physically, he was the same. As Kratos moved a bit of his hair out of his face, he realized that he had a slight smile on his face as he thought back on the first few days he spent with his new companions.

"You're fighting style is sloppy. You need to refine your skills to be efficient in battle," he once said to a younger Mithos as the half-elf picked himself up from being knocked to the ground by an enemy. Mithos muttered something under his breath as Kratos swiftly struck down the enemy and when Kratos turned to him the blonde was staring that the ground with a conflicted look on his face, "What's wrong?"

"…" Mithos stared at the ground, refusing to make eye contact with the purple clad swordsman and he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another. Yet, as Kratos turned his back to continue down the path Mithos suddenly called out, "Will you help me learn how to fight better and become stronger?!"

Kratos felt himself freeze and look back at the blonde with a confused look on his face. He found that Mithos was staring up at him with a very determined look and it was clearly written across his face that he meant every word he spoke. Kratos masked his face to look emotionless and Mithos quickly said, "I'll work hard and you won't ever have to worry about me. I swear I'll be the best pupil you could ever have!"

"Mithos! You shouldn't ask so much of a person you've just met," Martel began to scold but Kratos stopped her with a rare smile.

"Alright. I'll teach you how to become a better fighter. Yet, don't expect me to be easy on you. Lives are at stake in battles and you must do everything you can to protect yourself and those you care for," Kratos answered crossing his arms as he looked down at the half-elf as sternly as he could with the smile still on his face.

"I understand!" Mithos answered in a confident tone. Kratos couldn't help but smile a little more himself as a smile spread across the half-elf's face.

_**Teacher-**__ He has an iron fist of discipline but a kind heart as he teaches his ways to those who ask._

Kratos continued staring at the reflection as a sudden thought processed through his mind. Mithos and Lloyd had the same look of determination written all over their faces when they both asked Kratos to train them. The two of them were so much alike and yet, they were so different. Kratos found himself stunned as he thought through their similarities and differences. It was a dead even unbreakable stalemate. They're similarities and differences were the exact same in number and magnitude for each of them.

"That's…unsettling," Kratos noted as he continued down the streets of the city.

"Lord Kratos!" an angel suddenly spoke a greeting as she passed. Kratos merely nodded, but stopped to look at the angel's wings as she continued on her own way. His mind thought past on all of the reactions he had seen to wings and his thoughts came to a dominant rest on when Yuan, Mithos, and he had all received their wings. They were on Derris Kharlan looking themselves over before they went further in their plans. (1)

"These wings are impressive," Kratos noted as he looked over his shoulder at his blue wings as the shimmered from the light of Derris Kharlan.

"Indeed they are," Yuan agreed as he looked over his own wings. The two fighters then turned to they're blonde companion who stood in his adult form. (2) They looked at his wings and found themselves biting they're tongues. His wings shone bright pink in the light and they sparkled in a delicate way that could not be considered, in anyway shape of form, suited for a man.

"Why are looking at me like that?" Mithos-or rather Yggdrasill-asked in a confused tone. This only made the two want to laugh harder and they couldn't manage to hide the smiles that crept onto their faces. Yggdrasill, who was wearing thin on patience, finally snapped, "I demand to know what is so damn funny!"

Kratos closed his mouth and locked the metaphoric lock. Yuan saw he was the only man for the job and after biting back a fit of snickering he felt coming on, the blue haired half-elf proceeded to inform Yggdrasill on what was 'so damn funny'. Upon hearing his explanation, Yggdrasill stood there with an expression of pure anger on his face. After a moment he turned away and hissed through grit teeth, "You're now two of the four the Seraphim of Cruxis. You should learn to act the part! Besides…real men aren't afraid to wear pink." (3)

With that said the angel floated away from the two and when he was completely gone from sight, Yuan and Kratos found themselves laughing beyond all control.

Thinking back on it, Kratos remembered that day was the day that he received the title he disagreed with the most.

_**Angel-**__ The epitome of goodness. He comes down from the heavens to grant salvation to those who need it._

"There's only one time I might've thought that true," Kratos whispered quietly as he made his way from the city through the purple floating mass of mana. Once again, he found his feet rooted on the spot as he stood staring at the ground. Kratos' mind was completely consumed with thoughts Anna and Lloyd. His beloved wife and son.

His family…they were the only ones who made him feel like he was worth anything. Yet, here he was on Derris Kharlan without any of it. He left it all behind him and, as he walked forward down the roads of Derris Kharlan, that very fact haunted him relentlessly never letting him be in peace. Even though Anna was with him in spirit, he felt completely drained. Without Lloyd's happy-go-lucky presence and his naivety, Kratos just felt out of place and like there was nothing to really care about.

_**Mercenary-**_ _He travels the world, trusting only his own powers. His skills are for sale-not his loyalty._

That was the title he went by back then when he first met them all. It seemed to him like it happened ages ago. All of them had grown so much in the time he knew them. Lloyd…he had particularly impressed his father. He had managed to grow so strong and fixed the warped world the Yggdrasill had made. He even kept all of his friends alive and well. Even after his own father betrayed them.

_**Traitor-**__ A silent warrior who betrayed all trust. No reasons are given to those left behind._

It hurt him that his own son considered him that. It hurt him that his son _had_ to consider him that. He didn't feel at peace betraying him but he had no choice…did he? Could he have managed to stay with them and betray Yggdrasill? Could he have stayed with them the entire time and actually tell Lloyd himself that he was his father instead of what actually happened? Could he have helped them more than he did to fix the world his own friend made?

Maybe…maybe he could have…but the fact remained, he didn't. He stuck to the path he chose and he watched another friend die before his eyes. His own son was stronger than him. Lloyd managed to keep himself strong and even carried his own father across the finish line.

"What kind of father…forces that on his own son?" Kratos asked sadly, as he walked to the very spot the mana disruption was said to be. Even though his mind was confused by everything he had just thought of, he was even more confused by the sight before him.

There on the ground was a small little bundle wrapped up in simple brown paper and attached to it was a letter written in very untidy scrawl. Kratos bent down and gently lifted the package to read the letters written on the note. He nearly dropped the entire thing upon seeing his name written there in Lloyd's barely legible scribble. _'What in Martel's name?' _he thought as he carefully took the letter from the package. Taking great care not to damage the fragile paper, Kratos unfolded the letter and began to read.

_Dear Kratos,_

_Hey dad. It's me, Lloyd, just wanting to say hi. I wrote this letter a while after you left and made the gift that came with it from hand. It took me some time and Dirk kinda helped me with some of it. I bet you can tell what it was when you see it. I then asked Origin if he could find you and get it to you. Hopefully you get it! Nothing is really new here except that changes are slowly, but surely happening. At this rate, the world will be everything we wished for in a shorter time than we all thought! I hope you're doing ok and everything is going the way you want it to…I miss you. It's kinda boring without you but I've been keeping busy so I'm not letting anyone else feel down! Anyway, I wanted to thank you for everything and I'm proud to have you as my dad! I hope you're alright. Maybe I'll be able to send you another letter or something soon! Everyone says hi and that they hope you're doing alright. (Well Yuan didn't say it directly, but he acted kinda happy when I told him that I was trying to get in contact with you.) Anyway, you should know you're missed by everyone and we hope you're doing good!_

_Love Your Son,_

_Lloyd_

_P.S. Oh yeah and Noishe says hi too! And he hopes you aren't moping around and thinking about dying! Silly dog huh? Oh and he says he'll watch over me like you told him too. (Yeah I know about that. HA!)_

Kratos felt…warm. He felt as if a flame that had once lied dormant inside of him had now been rekindled and roared inside his heart. Lloyd had gone out of his way trying to make contact with his father and he was sure to have lost some of his mana doing so. Kratos smiled a genuine smile for the first time in a long while as he unwrapped the gift he had been sent. His eyes widened in shock and for a moment he could barely breathe upon seeing the beautiful little figurines Lloyd had carved out of some beautiful and strong wood.

A figurine of Kratos himself stood in the middle in his normal attire with his wings out and his sword posed high in the air with the tip pointing to the heaven. In his other hand, he held close to his heart the locket that he had given Lloyd and the strands of it flew out around the swordsman. On his right, sitting on the strand itself, was another figurine of Lloyd sitting with his hands behind his head and his swords across his lap. He still had that carefree smile upon his face and he looked happy. On the left, likewise sitting on the strand given from the locket, was a woman. Kratos' heart flipped upon seeing her face. It was a perfect likeness of Anna. Even the shape of the eyes and the cheekbones were perfect. It was definitely Lloyd's handiwork, but Dirk surely had to tell the boy what she looked like. Yet, even though Lloyd had never seen her, he had gotten every single detail absolutely perfect about his mother.

For the first time since Anna had died and he thought he lost Lloyd, Kratos felt his eyes mist over and his entire body shake as he thought about his family. It was then that Kratos' eyes were drawn to the bottom of the little statues and he flipped them over to read something else that Lloyd had scratched in the beautiful wood.

_Kratos. The best father and husband a family could ever wish for. Forever is he loved and missed by his friends and family. We hope to see you soon dad!_

Kratos felt a single tear slide down his face and land on the wood of the figurine. Yet, the smile stayed plastered on his face as he rose and finally found the one title he thought fit quite well for him. He walked back to Welgaia with the figurines gently cradled in his arms and the letter tucked close to his heart and as he walked he spoke the title aloud feeling the flame within him grow.

Dad.

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_**Happy Father's Day People**_

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**Well there it is…did that suck? Blame Father's Day people…although I didn't really have any father/daughter experience with this seeing as I only live with my mom…so if it sucks please don't flame me! I have no experience in such matters! Anyway, Tell me what you guys think!**

_(1) Ok I'm almost a hundred percent sure that they received their wings after Martel's death so that's why she isn't included. I could be wrong, though._

_(2) They're on Derris Kharlan and Mithos has already created his alternate form. I don't think he ever was in kid form with wings…I think whenever he had his wings he was in 'Yggdrasill' form. Am I right or wrong? (Thank you to everyone who informed me about Mithos and his rainbow wings.)_

_(3) They're his friends and they've started to get used to Martel being gone. So that's why they're laughing and Yggdrasill's not trying to kill 'em. And now everyone knows where the 'Real men wear pink,' saying came from. LOL._

**Ok people! Review for me! I think I did ok with this. You decide! **


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